141
31. Badinas ka baruk-teen? (Diligent or lazy?)
Objetivu
In this chapter you will learn to:
• Express a person’s character
• Derive agent nouns with -dor,
-teen and nain
Liafuan foun
** See also terms listed in the language structure sections of this chapter.
Adjectives
badinas
baruk
laran diak
laran aat
barani, brani
nakar
mamar
toos
ulun mamar
ulun toos
hard-working, diligent
feel lazy, bored, fed up
kind-hearted, generous
nasty
bold, brave
mischievous
soft
hard, tough, rigid
intelligent, cooperative
slow learner, stubborn
Nouns
bapa (I)
nain
istória
Indonesian
owner, master
story
Transitive verbs
bosok
deceive, lie
naok
steal
kaan
crave (food or drink)
konta
recount, narrate; count
Komentáriu kona ba liafuan foun
™
Baruk ho means ‘fed up with, sick of’; e.g. Hau baruk ho servisu nee ‘I’m sick of this work.’
™
Barani: bold, daring, courageous, brave, forward, have ‘gall’.
™
Nakar is hard to translate. In small children, it could be translated as ‘mischievous, naughty, gets
into everything, feisty’. Here it has positive connotations as the behaviour is associated with
inquisitiveness; for instance, nakar can describe a child who touches everything even though
instructed not to. In older children and teenagers, it can be simply ‘mischievous, cheeky’, but also
negatively describes people who break more serious norms, for example by stealing, hassling
women, or going from one girlfriend to the next.
™
Mamar means ‘soft’ in a range of senses:
ƒ
ƒ
ƒ
soft textured; e.g. of a substance you can press your fingers into
polite, gentle
soft, weak; e.g. of a person who can’t go against another’s wishes or won’t discipline lazy staff
™
Toos: hard, tough, stiff, rigid
™
Laran aat is quite generic, for instance describing people who don’t relate to others, won’t give
things when asked, or speak badly of others.
142
Chapter 31. Diligent or lazy?
™
Ulun mamar means both quick to learn, and quick to obey. Ulun toos means both slow to learn,
and rebellious, headstrong. So one can in principle be ulun mamar at school, but ulun toos to your
parents. These terms are very similar to matenek and beik respectively, except that matenek also
means ‘educated’ and beik is also a (somewhat deprecating) term meaning ‘uneducated’.
™
Ema nee oinsaa? is a general question ‘What is this person like?’ People may respond with a
description of the person’s appearance, or of their character or behaviour.
™
Bosok includes both deliberate lying and deception, and tricking someone in fun.
™
Konta:
ƒ
ƒ
‘recount, narrate’: konta istória ‘tell a story’, konta ema nia vida ‘gossip about someone’
‘count’: konta/sura osan ‘count money’
Diálogu
Antonio nakar
Amelia badinas tebes. Nia agora iha uma ho
nia biin Julia ho nia alin Antonio.
Julia:
Amelia, orsida lokraik o atu halo
saida?
Amelia: Hau atu hamoos uma laran mana.
Julia:
Se bele karik, fasi moos hariis fatin
ho sentina.
Amelia: Bele, mana. Tansaa mak la bele?!
Hau gosta halo servisu.
Antonio: Nee loos, mana Julia. Amelia nee
badinas tebes, servisudór. Mana
haree ka? Horiseik, hori-bainruak
nia halo servisu barak, komesa
dadeer too kalan.
Amelia: Hai, Antonio. Tansaa mak koalia
hanesan nee?! Hori-bainruak hau
moras, i depois horiseik hau tenki
baa konsulta. O hanoin hau barukteen ka?
Antonio: Eee, bosok! Horiseik pasiar karik!
Amelia:
Julia:
Oo..., mana Julia! Haree Antonio
nee. Nia hanoin hau pasiardór
hanesan nia ka?
Ai Antonio, nonook ona! Se lae,
orsida Amelia tanis!
Amelia is truly diligent. She’s presently at
home with her older sister Julia and her
younger brother Antonio.
Amelia, what are you going to do this
afternoon?
I’m going to clean the house, older sister.
Amelia, if you can, clean the bathroom and
toilet too.
OK, older sister. Why wouldn’t I be able to?!
I like working.
That’s true, older sister Julia. This Amelia is
truly diligent, a worker. Did you see?
Yesterday and the day before, she did lots of
work, from morning to night.
Hai, Antonio. Why are you talking like that?!
Two days ago I was sick, then yesterday I had
to go for a check-up. You think I’m lazy, do
you?
Ah,. rubbish! Yesterday you probably went
for an outing!
Oh..., older sister Julia! Look at this Antonio.
He thinks I’m a gadabout like himself, does
he?
Ai, Antonio, shut up! Otherwise Amelia will
cry.
Peace Corps Tetun Language Course 143
Kostumi
™
Keep an ear open for how people describe those whom they regard positively and negatively. In
particular, listen for what constitutes good and bad malae ‘foreigners’. For instance, how do
people view individualistic western society, with its emphasis on careful management of time and
money?
Estrutura lingua nian
Tetun Dili has three ways of deriving nouns which describe people.
1. -dór ‘one who’
The suffix -dór attaches to a verb to derive a noun meaning ‘a person who habitually does this’.
dukurdór
haluhadór
hamnasadór
hemudór
husudór
koaliadór
moedór
servisudór
pasiardór
sleepyhead
forgetful person
giggler
drinker (of alcohol)
person who keeps asking for things
chatterbox
very shy person
hard-working, diligent
gadabout, person who keeps going out
This suffix is borrowed from Portuguese, and can be added to both Tetun and Portuguese verbs.
There are also many words ending in -dór which Tetun has borrowed directly from Portuguese. There
are two differences between these loans and Tetun derivations. The first concerns meaning: the Tetun
derivations all refer to people, usually to people who habitually do something. In contrast, the
Portuguese loans include professions (see examples below), as well as terms which don’t refer to
people at all. Here are some non-human derivations which are easy to recognise from English:
aseleradór
indikadór
kalkuladór
komputadór
radiadór
accelerator (of a vehicle)
indicator, gauge
calculator
computer
radiator (of a vehicle)
Secondly, the Tetun derivations don’t distinguish between masculine and feminine (e.g. both male and
female shy people are moedór), whereas Portuguese loans that refer to women end in the feminine
form -dora. Here are some examples of Portuguese loans referring to people. Where the feminine form
is omitted from this list, it is because the term isn’t to date normally applied to women in Timor.
144
Chapter 31. Diligent or lazy?
administradór
diretór
ditadór
embaixadór
fundadór
governadór
kolaboradór
kordenadór
moderadór
observadór
organizadór
peskadór
salvadór
trabalyadór
traidór
treinadór
administradora
diretora
kordenadora
observadora
organizadora
treinadora
administrator (especially of a district)
director , headmaster, headmistress
dictator
ambassador
founder
governor
collaborator
coordinator
moderator, chairman
observer (e.g. of elections, parliament)
organiser
fisherman (commercial)
saviour
labourer
traitor, betrayer, disloyal person
trainer
The plural form of such nouns in Portuguese usually ends in -ores (e.g. Portuguese professores
‘teachers’) for the masculine (and for mixed groups), and -oras (e.g. Portuguese professoras) for the
feminine. While most people disapprove of using Portuguese plurals in Tetun, you may hear them
used, especially in news broadcasts.
2. -teen ‘one who (negative connotation)’
Teen on its own means ‘faeces’ (e.g. karau teen ‘buffalo dung’). This negative connotation carries
over when -teen is attached to verbs, adjectives or nouns. The resulting compound is an adjective
which describes someone who is habitually like that mentioned in the root word.
baruk-teen
beik-teen
bosok-teen
kaan-teen
karak-teen
lanu-teen
nakar-teen
naok-teen
tanis-teen
lazybones
stupid
habitual liar
glutton, greedy
mean, stingy (won’t share)
drunkard
trouble maker
habitual thief
cry-baby
3. nain ‘master’
Nain on its own means ‘owner, master, lord’. Here are some compounds that include it:
kaben nain
loja nain
rai nain
servisu nain
uma nain
married person
shop owner, shopkeeper
native, indigenous inhabitant; spirit of the land
competent hard worker
house owner, householder, the lady of the house
145
32. Data ho konvite (Dates and invitations)
Objetivu
In this chapter you will learn to:
•
•
•
Ask for or tell the date
Give written invitations
Refuse an invitation to visit
Liafuan foun
See also expressions in Estrutura língua nian 5.
Months
Janeiru
Fevereiru
Marsu
Abríl
Maiu
Junyu
Julyu
Agostu
Setembru
Outubru
Novembru
Dezembru
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
Time-related adverbs
sedu
early
tardi
late
ho oras
on time
Nouns
konvite
written invitation
Transitive verbs
konvida
invite
Other date-related
dia (P)
day; date
dia hira?
what date?
data (P)
date
saa data?
what date?
tanggal (I)
date
Komentáriu kona ba liafuan foun
™
ƒ
ƒ
Here are some examples for konvida:
Horiseik sira konvida ami baa festa. ‘Yesterday they invited us to go to a party.’
Konvida ema boot sira atu mai haan. ‘Invite the VIPs to come and eat (now).’
146
Chapter 32. Dates and invitations
Diálogu
Anita lori konvite
Anita lori konvite baa foo Luisa iha uma.
Anita:
Luisa:
Anita:
Luisa:
Anita:
Luisa:
Anita:
Luisa:
Anita:
Luisa:
Bondia mana Rosa.
Bondia, mai tuur tia.
Lalika tuur ida! Hau lori deit konvite
nee mai foo ba ita.
Konvite? Konvite kona ba saida?
Hau nia maun nia oan mak atu kaben.
Orsida mana lee deit iha konvite nee.
Entaun mak nee deit, hau fila ona.
Hai, la bele halo hanesan nunee. Tuur
hemu buat ruma lai, depois mak baa.
Obrigada. La bele hirus. Loron seluk
mak hau hemu. Agora hau sei baa
Fatuhada, depois liu ba Comoro.
Diak, kumprimentus ba ita nia katuasoan ho labarik sira hotu.
Obrigada, adeus.
Adeus.
Anita takes an invitation and gives it to
Luisa at her home.
Good morning, older sister Rosa.
Good morning, come and have a seat.
No need to sit! I’m just bringing this
invitation to give to you.
An invitation? An invitation for what?
My older brother’s child is about to get
married. Just read about it in the invitation
later. Well, that’s all. I’ll go back now.
Hey, you can’t do that! Sit and drink
something, then go.
Thanks. Don’t be angry. Another day I’ll
(stay and) drink. Now I have to (lit. ‘will’)
go to Fatuhada, and then on to Comoro.
OK. Greetings to your husband and all the
children.
Thanks. Bye.
Bye.
Komentáriu kona ba diálogu: refusing an offer
™
Anita refuses the offer of a drink with Obrigada. She then says La bele hirus, which is a common
response when you may have offended someone. It literally means ‘Don’t be angry’, but is used
where in English one may say ‘Sorry’.
™
Notice that after refusing a drink, Anita says she’ll stop for a drink another time. Using loron
seluk like this is a common way of softening a refusal.
™
In this dialogue the hostess offers her visitor a drink. If for some reason such an offer is not made
or not accepted, there are various stereotypical ways for hosts to acknowledge this failure. These
include Mai moos, la hemu tan buat ida ‘You came, but didn’t even drink’; Ita hamriik deit ‘We
only stood (didn’t even sit)’; Ita koalia deit ‘We only talked (didn’t even eat or drink)’; and Ita la
tuur tan ‘You didn’t even sit’.
Kostumi
™
Dates are written with the day preceding the month, e.g. 31/12/2002, 31 Dezembru 2002.
™
Dates are often given in Portuguese or Indonesian.
™
Invitations to meetings or festivities are often given in person one or two days in advance. For
weddings, family and close friends are given oral invitations; people with whom the relationship
is less close or more formal, such as work colleagues, may be given written invitations. These are
in Tetun, Portuguese, Indonesian, or – if many English-speaking foreigners are involved – in
English. There is no RSVP; that is, those invited are not expected to inform the hosts as to
whether they will attend.
Peace Corps Tetun Language Course 147
™
In Timor people often specify the date for events, rather than the day of the week.
™
It is common for events to start late; this tendency is described by the Indonesian expression jam
karet ‘rubber time’.
Estrutura língua nian
1. saa fulan? ‘which month?’
To ask for the day, month or year, you can either place saa before the noun, or saida after it.1
Ohin saa loron? KA
Ohin loron saida?
H: Ohin domingu.
What day is it today?
P:
Which year were you born in?
P:
Ita moris iha saa tinan? KA
Ita moris iha tinan saida?
H: Hau moris iha tinan rihun ida atus sia
neen-nulu resin ida.
Today is Sunday.
I was born in 1961.
2. Dates in Tetun
To ask the date, you can ask either dia hira?, or saa data?2 Both are likely to elicit an answer in
Portuguese, although some people will respond in Tetun. There is no commonly understood question
which will reliably elicit an answer in Tetun.
Ohin dia hira? KA
Ohin saa data?
What date is it?
In Tetun (unlike in America), the date comes before the month. There are two ways of specifying the
month. In Dili it is usual to specify fulan followed by the month name (e.g. fulan Setembru). The
alternative, of using fulan followed by the month number (e.g. fulan sia), is common in some rural
areas. If the month is already known, the date is often specified as simply loron followed by the day
number.
Ohin loron sanulu, fulan Maiu.
Ohin loron sanulu, fulan lima.
Ohin loron sanulu.
Today is the 10th of May.
Today is the 10th of May.
Today is the 10th.
Note that years are said in full (as the equivalent of ‘one thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nine’), not
abbreviated as per the common English pattern of ‘nineteen ninety-nine’.
•
•
Ohin segunda, loron rua-nulu, fulan Maiu,
tinan rihun rua rua.
Hau moris iha loron tolu, fulan haat, tinan
rihun ida atus sia sia-nulu resin haat.
Today is Monday, the 20th of May, 2002.
I was born on 3rd April, 1994.
1
Saa can also be used in other contexts to ask for a choices from a limited range of options (e.g. saa kór ‘what
colour’). However not all speakers use it this way.
2
While some people consider saa data to be normal everyday usage, others consider it unusual.
147
148
Chapter 32. Dates and invitations
Here are some examples of other questions concerning dates.
P: Ita moris iha saa data?
H: Hau moris iha loron rua, fulan Maiu,
tinan rihun ida atus sia, neen-nulu resin
haat.
What date were you born?
I was born on 2nd May 1964.
P:
Which month is Easter in this year?
Páskua iha tinan ida nee, (monu) iha
fulan saida?
H: Páskua (monu) iha fulan Marsu.
Easter is in March.
3. Dates in Portuguese
Here is a preview of dates in Portuguese. As in Tetun, the date precedes the month. Portuguese
numbers are listed in the appendix, and the month names listed above for Tetun are from Portuguese.
P: Ohin dia hira?
H: Ohin dia vinti (de Maiu).
What date is it today?
Today is the 20th (of May).
4. Dates in Indonesian
In Indonesian, the day number is preceded by tanggal ‘date’. Unlike Tetun, month names are not
normally preceded by bulan ‘month’, nor are years in everyday speech preceded by tahun ‘year’.
P: Tanggal berapa?
H: Tanggal dua-puluh.
Nia moris iha tanggal tiga Mei, dua ribu
satu.
What date is it?
It is the 20th.
She was born on 3rd May, 2001.
The Indonesian month names are: Januari, Februari, Maret, April, Mei, Juni, Juli, Agustus,
September, Oktober, November, Desember.
5. Next/last week
There are various ways of expressing ‘last’ and ‘next’.
Future
semana oin
semana oin mai
domingu agora
domingu oin
domingu oin mai
tinan rua oin mai
tinan rua mai
3
next week
next week
this coming Sunday
next Sunday (the Sunday
after the coming one) 3
next Sunday (the Sunday
after the coming one)
in two years time
in two years time
Past
semana kotuk
semana liu baa
domingu liu baa
domingu rua liu baa
tinan rua liu baa
last week
last week
last Sunday
the Sunday before
last
two years ago
As with English ‘next Sunday’, there is in practice sometimes confusion as to whether domingu oin should be
interpreted as the coming Sunday (less than 7 days away), or the Sunday after that.
Peace Corps Tetun Language Course 149
Dili, 9 Junyu tinan 2003
Ba
:
............................................................
Númeru
:
......../........./........./2003
Asuntu
:
KONVITE
Ho laran haksolok, ami konvida senyores xefi de suku hotu iha
Distritu Bobonaro, atu mai tuir enkontru ho Sr. Administradór
Distritu. Enkontru nee sei halao iha:
Loron : Sesta
Data
: 13 fulan Junyu tinan 2003
Oras
: Tuku 08.00 too 12.00
Fatin : Salaun enkontru Distritu Bobonaro
Ajenda enkontru:
1. Informasaun jerál husi Administradór Distritu
2. Xefi suku ida-idak hatoo relatóriu kona ba dezenvolvimentu iha
suku laran
3. Sujestaun ka proposta husi xefi sira
4. Buat seluk tan se iha karik
Ba ita boot sira nia atensaun, ami hatoo obrigadu.
Komisaun organizadora ba enkontru,
José Manuel Soares da Costa Nunes de Oliveira Lopes
Sekretáriu
149
150
Recepção
Com as bençãos de Deus nosso Senhor, Nós
tencionamos
realizar
uma
recepção
para
festejar o enlace matrimonial dos nossos
filhos e irmãos
Dia :
José Antonio de Jesus
Sábado, 27 de Julho 2002
Horas :
19.00 HTL
Lugar :
Ex- CNRT Balide – Dili
(Azé)
e
Maria Lindalva
(Meri)
Será uma honra que nos fará feliz, se a
Vossa Excelência e familia tenham a
amabilidade
de
participar
nesta
cerimónia. Manifestamos antes de tudo,
a nossa profunda gratidão
Cerimónia Ritual
Dia
:
Sábado, 27 de Julho de 2002
Convidam
Horas :
10.00 HTL
Familia
Lugar :
Igreja Catedral – Dili
Jesus
Lindalva
Familia
151
33. Kuidadu an (Taking care of yourself)
Objetivu
In this chapter you will learn to increase your personal safety, including:
• Recognise and respond to unwelcome romantic attention
• Recognise male-female banter, and threatening talk
• Use keta ‘don’t’, para... ‘so...’, ruma ‘some or other’ and tag saa
Liafuan foun – jerál
Nouns
buatamak
buatinak
doben
lisensa
manu-talin
motór
NGO [en ji o] (Eng)
seguransa
teki
toke
voluntáriu
Transitive verbs
ameasa
bandu
estraga
fahe
inkomoda
kuidadu
namora
fellow (impolite)
girl, woman (impolite)
girlfriend, boyfriend; Adjective beloved
permission
go-between (e.g. who carries messages between a boy and girl)
motorbike
NGO
security
gecko; young single woman (youth slang)
kind of lizard; young single fellow (youth slang)
volunteer
vizita
threaten
prohibit, forbid; Noun: prohibition
destroy, damage, vandalise, hurt; rape
separate, distribute
bother, inconvenience, interrupt
care for; be careful
court, go out with;
Many people also use it as a noun: boyfriend, fiancé, girlfriend, fiancée
visit
Intransitive verbs/adjectives
furak
matan moris
mesak
rame
beautiful (of things, dance..., not of people), tasty
be ‘on the prowl’, keep swapping girlfriends/boyfriends
alone
bustling, busy, crowded, lively, festive
Other
...laran kona ho
...laran kona malu
di-diak
keta
liu-liu
para ...
ruma
teb-tebes
... like, fall in love with
... like each other, have fallen for each other
carefully, thoroughly
don’t!
especially
so, very...
some or other (as yet unknown quantity, or type)
truly, very
152
Chapter 33. Taking care of yourself
™
Buatamak and buatinak are impolite terms of reference for a man/woman whom you don’t know,
or whom you are angry at and pretend not to know. For instance, a girl could say to her girlfriends
about a man who is hassling them: O, haree buat amak ida nebaa nee!
™
Since international NGOs have multiplied since 1999, many people now use the English term
NGO (pronounced as in English); the Portuguese equivalent is ONG (pronounced ‘ó én jé’).
™
Voluntáriu: In Portuguese, the feminine form voluntária is used of women. In Timor, the
feminine form is not well known. The word is often pronounced voluntari.1
™
Rame represents a positive characteristic in Timorese culture. It is associated with lots of people
and activity.
™
Fahe includes: distribute, share, deal (cards); separate, divide.
ƒ
Sira fahe malu means ‘They separated’; this includes each one going their own way (e.g. at the
end of a meeting), as well as breaking up a relationship; it is one way of saying they divorced.
™
Kuidadu! is a common warning, meaning ‘Be careful, watch out!’
™
Hau nia laran kona ho nia suggests you fell for this person. It is primarily associated with
romantic attraction (even if the other person doesn’t know about it), but laran kona ho can also be
used for ‘falling in love with’ or being attracted to a child you’d like to adopt, a house, or even
clothing.
Attracting the girls
™
As in the West, there are a wide range of expressions used by young men when young women
walk past. Apart from words, there is whistling, and clearing the throat. As a woman, you can
ignore them, or simply smile and keep walking. If you greet groups of men in Tetun before they
get a chance to comment, it often prevents such comments being made in the first place.
Expressions used by young men when young women go past (translations are rather literal)
Isin para kabeer!
So beautiful (lit. ‘such smooth skin’)
teki
young single girl
... halo hau araska liu
... makes it hard for me
lao oan nee
– said when a girl walks past
soran saa
inciting, isn’t it.
husar oan nee
(lit. ‘navel child this’) – said when the navel is showing
hamnasa oan nee
laugher/smiler
kelen oan nee
(lit. ‘thigh child this’) – said when a girl’s skirt or shorts are short
Courtship
™
1
Relationships that a westerner might interpret as a minor courtship or flirtation are likely to be
interpreted by a Timorese as a serious intention to marry. There are exceptions (mainly in Dili)
amongst those youth who are considered nakar ‘wanton, mischievous’.
Native Tetun has no words with stress on the third-last syllable; stress usually falls on the second-last syllable.
One way to ‘regularise’ stress in Portuguese loans with stress on the third-last syllable is to drop the final
syllable, as in this case.
Peace Corps Tetun Language Course 153
™
If a young man goes to visit a hopeful-girlfriend’s parents, it is likely to be interpreted as a desire
to have a serious relationship. If he takes the girl out, he is expected to also deliver her home
afterwards.
™
Unwanted romantic attentions can be reduced if you mix widely within the community, showing
that there is no particular eligible man or woman who interests you more than others.
Diálogu
(1) Feto lakohi namora mane nee
Diogo mane foin-sae ida. Nia gosta teb-tebes
Rosa, tanba Rosa nee feto oan ida bonita,
hamnasadór, i fuuk naruk. Isin moos kapaas.
Diogo buka dalan atu hatoo nia laran ba Rosa.
Maibee Rosa nia laran la kona ho Diogo.
Diogo:
Rosa:
Diogo:
Rosa:
Diogo:
Rosa:
Diogo:
Rosa:
Rosa! Rosa!
Nusaa?
Lae, la iha buat ida.
Tansaa o bolu hau?
Hau hakarak hatete buat ida ba o,
maibee o keta hirus.
Dehan tok mai!
Rosa! O bonita. Hau gosta o. Tebes
nee! O halo hau toba la dukur!
Oo, obrigada. Hau baa ona. Adeus.
Diogo is a young man. He really likes
Rosa, because Rosa is a pretty girl, who
often laughs/smiles, and has long hair. Her
body is beautiful too. Diogo looks for a
way to express his feelings to Rosa. But
Rosa doesn’t love Diogo.
Rosa! Rosa!
What’s up?
No, there’s nothing.
Why did you call me?
I want to tell you something, but don’t get
mad.
Tell me!
Rosa! You’re pretty. I like you. It’s true!
You make me unable to sleep!
Oh, (no) thank you. I’m going now. Bye.
(2) Douglas hakarak baa pasiar ho Nonoi
Douglas baa husu lisensa ba Nonoi nia amaa ho
apaa, atu pasiar ba Pasir Putih.
Douglas:
Bondia tiu, hau inkomoda ita karik.
Tiu:
Tuur tia. Nusaa? Ohin sábadu imi la
iha eskola ka?
La iha. Tanba nee mak ohin hau
hakarak husu lisensa ba tiu ho tia, se
bele karik, aban domingu hau
hakarak pasiar ho Nonoi ba Pasir
Putih.
Douglas:
2
Douglas goes and asks Nonoi’s mother and
father for permission to go for an outing to
Pasir Putih.2
Good morning, uncle, perhaps I’m
bothering you.
Have a seat. What’s the case – today being
Saturday, don’t you have school?
No we don’t. That’s why today I want to
ask uncle and aunt for permission – if
possible, tomorrow (Sunday) I’d like to go
out with Nonoi to Pasir Putih.
This beach between Dili and the headland with the Cristo Rei statue is also known by the Portuguese name
Areia Branca.
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Chapter 33. Taking care of yourself
Tiu:
Bele, maibee la bele too kalan, tanba
seguransa laduun diak. Liu-liu iha
domingu ema barak mak baa nebaa, i
hemu tua too lanu. Nee duni, imi nain
rua tenki fila sedu. Douglas, imi nain
rua atu baa ho saida? Kareta ka
motór?
Douglas:
Baa ho kareta tiu. Tanba Corpo da
Paz bandu ami la bele sae motór.
Oh! Hanesan nee ka? Entaun diak,
imi nain rua bele baa.
Obrigadu tiu. Até amanyá.
Até amanyá.
Tiu:
Douglas:
Tiu:
That’s fine, but you can’t stay until
evening, because the security isn’t very
good, especially on Sundays when there are
lots of people there, and they drink alcohol
until they get drunk. So you two must
return early. Douglas, how are you two
going to travel? By car/bus/truck or by
motorbike?
By vehicle, uncle. Because Peace Corps
has forbidden us to ride motorbikes.
Oh! Is that so? So, OK, you two can go.
Thank you, uncle. See you tomorrow.
See you tomorrow.
Extramarital sex
™
It is considered highly desirable for a girl to be a virgin when she gets married, or at least to lose
her virginity to the man whom she will later marry. For young men this is not considered such an
issue.
Expressions
feto bikan
feto puta
feto luroon
panleiru
maufeto
bermanek
homo (I)
lesbián (I)
hola malu
baratu
kama rua
hola feto kiik / feen kiik
prostitute (lit. ‘woman plate’)
prostitute (lit. ‘woman whore’)
prostitute (lit. ‘woman street’)
cross-dresser, man who acts or dresses like a woman; homosexual
effeminate heterosexual male
tomboy, woman who acts like a man
homosexual
lesbian
have sex with each other, marry each other
cheap (easy to get; mainly applied to women)
mistress (in addition to the wife)
take a mistress
Security
™
A person on their own does not invite a person of the opposite sex into his or her home. Any
business that needs to be transacted can usually be done outside the front door. If you want to
invite them to sit, let them sit on the front veranda or in the front yard. If the guest stays too long,
one option is to invite him or her to stay there, but state that you yourself must go out (e.g. to the
neighbours).
™
Women are expected to dress conservatively, not showing their midriff, and avoiding short skirts
or short shorts, or wearing strappy tops. (Such clothes were acceptable during the Portuguese
time, but a quarter-century of Indonesian rule has changed that.)
™
If you sleep alone in a room or house, close the windows and doors properly. An open window or
door can be interpreted as an invitation. It may be helpful to spread the story that you sleep with a
weapon which you are happy to use if attacked.
Peace Corps Tetun Language Course 155
™
Should you ever be attacked, yell. e.g. Ajuda hau ‘Help me’, Naokteen tama uma ‘A thief has
come into the house’.
™
Questions you can avoid asking or answering with young people of the opposite sex include those
about where, when and how well one sleeps.
™
Women shouldn’t leave the township or walk at night without adult company. If you want a route
to jog, stay inside the town, and gradually get to know people along the proposed route.
™
If you are living with people, let them know where you are going when you go out.
™
Greeting many people and mixing widely can help your acceptance into the community.
Diálogu
(3) La bele koalia iha uma laran
Juvito, nia hanesan joven nebee hela iha aldeia
Hera. Nia gosta Susan, voluntáriu foun nebee
halo servisu i hela iha Hera. Nia mesak deit iha
uma.
Juvito: Lisensa uma nain. Bondia.
Susan:
Juvito:
Susan:
Juvito:
Susan:
Juvito:
Susan:
Jovito is a young man who lives in the
village of Hera. He likes Susan, a volunteer
who works and stays in Hera. She is alone
at home.
Excuse me, lady of the house. Good
morning.
Bondia. Mai tuur iha nee, ami nia
Good morning. Come and sit here, (though)
varanda kiik hela.
our veranda is small.
Diak obrigadu, la buat ida.
Fine, thanks, that’s all right.
Nusaa? Iha buat ruma atu hatoo mai
What’s up? Is there something you want to
hau ka?
tell me?
Sín, ita bele koalia iha laran deit? Se lae, Yes, can we just talk inside? Otherwise lots
ema barak haree ita.
of people will see us.
Aii.... diak liu ita koalia deit iha liur nee, Aii... it’s better to just talk outside here,
tanba iha laran manas teb-tebes.
because inside is terribly hot.
La buat ida! Ita baa iha laran mak hau
That’s all right. Once we go inside I’ll talk.
koalia.
Se hanesan nee, diak liu ita bele fila,
In that case, how about you go home,
tanba hau atu sai. Adeus.
because I am about to go out. Bye.
(4) La bele vizita mesak
Zelinda voluntáriu foun ida, nebee foin mai hosi
Amérika. Nia hela iha distritu Ermera. Nia
konyese Senyór Paulo, nebee servisu iha NGO
ida.
Paulo:
Zelinda, orsida hau bele baa ita nia
uma?
Zelinda: Ita atu baa ho see?
Paulo:
Hau baa mesak deit.
Zelinda: Ai, nee la furak ida. Bolu tan Maria ho
Ana, para ita bele koalia rame.
Zelinda is a new volunteer, who has only
recently arrived from America. She lives in
the district of Ermera. She knows Mr
Paulo, who works in an NGO.
Zelinda, can I go to your home later?
Who would you go with?
I’d go alone.
Ah, that’s not so great. Ask Maria and Ana
to come too, so that we can have a good
chat as a group.
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Chapter 33. Taking care of yourself
What are malae like?
™
Complaints about and praise for foreigners often seem to revolve around two issues: whether they
mix well with Timorese, and whether they are generous. In Timor, for instance, it is normal as a
passenger in a car to share your snacks with the driver, or as a member of a household to share
your food with the rest of the household. The high rate of unemployment and poverty exacerbate
some complaints.
™
The suspicion that Americans are spies was fed by Indonesian propaganda. To avoid encouraging
this suspicion, it is safer to initially not directly ask about military aspects of the Indonesian
occupation, such as who the perpetrators were, and what your addressee’s role in it was.
Things sometimes said about foreigners
Iha sira nia rai la iha servisu, mai
buka servisu iha Timor.
Malae/buatamak nee halo estilu liu.
Sira nee intel, saa.
Sira nee CIA nia ema, saa.
Baa fiar fali malae teen toos!
•
•
•
•
•
•
Malae nee britas.
In their country there aren’t any jobs, (so) they
come and look for work in Timor.
This foreigner/fellow is showing off.
They are intelligence agents, aren’t they.
They are CIA agents, aren’t they.
Would you trust a stingy foreigner?! (lit. ‘hardfaeces’, also meaning ‘constipated’)
This foreigner is stingy (lit. ‘pebble’).
Male threats
™
When men are threatened by other men, Timorese deem it wisest to walk away, especially as such
behaviour is often associated with drunkenness.
Expressions used by young men when threatening other men
Ita bomba tia nia!
We’ll bash him up.
Joga nia!
Let’s bash him!
Malae avoo la hanorin, baku mate tia
The foreigner wasn’t properly brought up, bash him
nia!
to death!
•
•
•
Peace Corps Tetun Language Course 157
Estrutura língua nian
1. keta ‘don’t
Keta can, like la bele, be used in prohibitions. This is particularly common in the variety of Tetun used
within the Catholic church, as well as in Tetun Terik. Outside of liturgical contexts, many people
prefer la bele. It occurs before a verb, or occurs on its own (e.g. Keta! ‘Don’t!’).
•
•
•
•
Keta tauk!
Keta bosok!
Keta rona nia!
Keta lai!
Don’t be afraid!
Don’t lie/deceive!
Don’t listen to him!
Don’t (do it) yet!
2. para ‘so’
In slang, para means ‘so, really, very’. Unlike the other terms meaning ‘very’ (such as liu), it comes
before the adjective:
•
•
•
Dosi nee para midar!
Ema nee para bokur!
Feto nee para bonita!
This cake is so sweet/tasty!
This person is so fat!
This girl is a stunner!
3. ruma ‘some or other’
Ruma ‘some or other’ always comes after a noun, and indicates an unknown or unspecified quantity or
type. It occurs in the standard phrases ema ruma ‘someone’, buat ruma ‘something’, fatin ruma
‘somewhere’, and dala ruma ‘sometimes’.
•
•
•
Ita presiza buat ruma?
Iha nasaun ruma bele ajuda ita?
Ami fiar katak loron ruma Timor sei
ukun-an.
Do you need something/anything?
Is there a country (any country/countries) who can
help us?
We believed that some day Timor would rule itself
(be independent).
4. saa tag
Saa is a tag which can be placed at the end of a statement or command in informal speech amongst
friends of equal status.
On statements it appears to mean something like ‘this is true – so don’t argue about it’.
•
•
O baa koalia ho Dona Patricia lai! –
Hau baa tia ona saa!
Hau hatene ona saa!
Go and talk with Mrs Patricia. –
I’ve already done it!
I already know!
On a command, it has falling intonation. Here saa aims to calm the other person down, while still
showing that you are serious.
•
•
•
Tuur tia saa.
Kalma deit saa.
La bele book saa!
Sit down.
Just calm down.
Don’t touch it!
159
34. Despede malu (Farewell)
Objetivu
In this chapter you will learn to:
• Handle farewells in a culturally appropriate manner
• Use nusaa? ‘why?’, halo nusaa? ‘how?’, atu ... ona ‘about to’
• Talk about finishing things, using hotu or remata ‘finish’
• Use moos to mean ‘and so’, and la ... ona ‘no longer ...’
Liafuan foun
Nouns
ansi
atensaun
despedida
disiplina
hahalok
kolaborasaun
laran luak
lia menon
maluk
ministériu
reuniaun
rohan
salaun
hurry
attention, care
farewell
discipline
behaviour
collaboration
wholeheartedness
message, instructions
relative, friend, colleague
ministry (government)
meeting (esp. large formal)
piece; end
hall (meeting/lecture...)
Example
ho ansi
foo atensaun ba...
festa despedida
ho disiplina
hahalok aat
in a hurry
pay attention to, care for
farewell party
in a disciplined way
bad behaviour
Ministériu Saúdi
Ministry of Health
Transitive verbs and expressions
agradese
thank (mainly formal use)
aproveita
take (opportunity), make the most of
buka
look for; seek to, try to
despede
farewell, say goodbye to
despede malu
take leave of one another
fiar
believe, trust
foo hatene (ba ...)
inform, tell (to ...)
foo sai (ba ...)
announce, reveal (to ...)
foo tempu ba ...
give an opportunity to ... (e.g. to speak)
halibur
gather (usually people) together
halibur malu
gather together
hatete sai (ba...)
announce
kontinua
continue
organiza
organise
prepara
prepare
remata
finish
simu ho laran luak
receive wholeheartedly
Intransitive verbs
hotu
finish, be finished
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Chapter 34. Farewell
Other
derepenti
foufoun
halo nusaa
husu deskulpa
kona ho ... nia laran
la ... ona
la ... tan
maizoumenus
nudar
nusaa?
oan-ida
tomak
suddenly
initially, at first
how
say sorry, ask forgiveness
suit, be pleasing to
no longer ...
no longer ...
approximately
as, in the capacity of
why?; what’s up?
a little, a small (e.g. festa oan-ida ‘a small party’)
whole, entire; all
Komentáriu kona ba liafuan foun
™
Halibur ‘gather, assemble’, is usually used for assembling people together. It is both transitive
and intransitive. That is, you can say both of the following:
ƒ
ƒ
Mestri halibur estudante sira iha sala laran. ‘The teacher gathered his students into the hall.’
Estudante sira hotu halibur iha sala. ‘The students all assembled in the hall.’
™
Nudar is primarily used in formal speech and writing. It is often used to introduce the capacity in
which someone is speaking or functioning:
ƒ
ƒ
ƒ
™
ƒ
ƒ
ƒ
Nudar ema Timor hau fiar katak... ‘As a Timorese, I believe that...’
Nudar ema foin sae, hau gosta duni aprende buat barak ‘As a young person, I really like to
learn many things.’
Nia servisu nudar enfermeira ‘She worked as a nurse.’
Foufoun ‘initially, at first’; e.g.
Foufoun hau mai, hau seidauk hatene tetun. ‘When I first came, I didn’t yet know Tetun.’
Indonézia tama foufoun, ami hotu halai ba ai laran. ‘When Indonesia first came in (invaded),
we all ran away to the forests.’
Foufoun nia badinas; ikus mai, nia baruk-teen. ‘At first he was diligent; now he is lazy.’
Diálogu ho tekstu
Diálogu: Despede malu
Aleixo servisu iha Ministériu Edukasaun. Nia
hetan ona lisensa atu kontinua nia eskola iha
Jakarta. Bainhira nia atu sai, nia moos despede ho
nia maluk sira.
Aleixo:
Halo favór, orsida tuku rua ita halibur
malu lai iha salaun reuniaun nian.
Samuel: Halibur malu ho see deit?
Aleixo: Ita hotu, xefi mak lae. Hau foo hatene tia
ba sira seluk.
Aleixo works in the Ministry of
Education. He has received permission to
continue his studies in Jakarta. So when
he is about to go, he farewells his
colleagues.
This afternoon at two o’clock please meet
in the meeting hall.
Who will we meet with?
All of us, except the boss. I have already
told the others.
Peace Corps Tetun Language Course 161
Samuel:
Koalia kona ba saida? Keta o atu kaben
ona karik?
Aleixo: Orsida mak hau hatete sai ba maluk sira
hotu. Agora ita baa haan lai.
Fila hosi haan meiudia, sira hotu halibur iha
salaun reuniaun. Ema hotu iha salaun laran hein
ho ansi, saida mak Aleixo hakarak foo sai.
Aleixo:
Maluk sira hotu, hau husu tia ona tempu
ba ita nia xefi, atu ita halibur malu iha
nee. Hau hakarak foo hatene deit katak
...
Inês:
Ehhhh ... hau hatene ona saa! Atu baa
kaben iha Suai.
Josefa:
Nia teki mak see?
Samuel: Diak liu, ita nonook lai. Ita rona tok,
saida mak irmaun Aleixo atu hatete sai.
Aleixo: Maluk sira, obrigadu tanba imi hotu
hakarak mai halibur iha nee. Hau
hakarak foo hatene katak, hahuu
segunda mai, hau la servisu ona iha nee.
Tanba hau atu baa eskola tan iha
Jakarta maizomenus tinan tolu nia
laran.
Josefa:
Eskola remata tia, mai servisu fali iha
nee ka lae?
Aleixo: Lae karik. Hau hanoin ema seluk sei mai
tama fali iha hau nia fatin. Tanba nee,
hau aproveita tempu ida nee atu despede
ho imi hotu. Hau hatoo obrigadu barak
ba imi nia ajuda, atensaun ho imi nia
laran diak mai hau, durante ita servisu
hamotuk. Hau husu deskulpa barak ba
hau nia hahalok ka liafuan mak laduun
kona imi nia laran. Servisu diak nafatin
ho disiplina hanesan baibain. Maromak
tulun ita nafatin. Obrigadu.
Samuel: Obrigadu ba ita boot nia ajuda durante
ita servisu hamutuk. Baa estuda di-diak.
Maluk sira rona tia liafuan hosi Aleixo, sira fahe
malu. Samuel buka atu organiza festa despedida.
Samuel:
Josefa:
Samuel:
Josefa, orsida sai servisu, ita koalia
uituan lai atu prepara despedida oanida.
Loos, hau moos hanoin hanesan nee.
Prepara hotu, ita baa konvida Aleixo.
Orsida mak ita koalia liu tan. Ate logu.
Ate logu.
What will we be talking about. Are you
perhaps about to get married?
I’ll tell all of (you) colleagues later. Now
let’s go and eat first.
When they return from eating lunch, they
all gather in the meeting hall. Everyone in
the hall is waiting expectantly for what
Aleixo wants to tell them.
Friends, I have asked our boss for time for
us to meet here. I just want to inform you
that ...
Eh! I know! You’re about to go and get
married in Suai.
Who is his girlfriend?
Let’s be quiet for a while. We’ll listen to
what Aleixo has to tell.
Friends, thank you because you all
wanted to gather here. I want to inform
you that, starting on Monday, I won’t be
working here any more. Because I am
about to go to Jakarta to study further for
about three years.
After your schooling is finished, will you
come back and work here?
I don’t think so. I think someone else will
come in my place. So, I’m taking
advantage of this time to farewell you all.
I thank you heartily for your help, care,
and your kindness towards me during the
period in which we have worked together.
I sincerely ask forgiveness for my
behaviour or words which didn’t please
you. Keep working well and in a
disciplined manner just as usual. May
God keep helping you. Thanks.
Thanks for your help during the time we
worked together. Go and study well.
Having heard this news from Aleixo, the
colleagues went their separate ways.
Samuel sought to organise a farewell
party.
Josefa, when we finish work later, let’s
talk a bit about preparing a little farewell.
Right. I thought that too. When we’ve
finished preparing it, we’ll invite Aleixo.
We’ll talk more later. See you later.
See you.
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Chapter 34. Farewell
Tekstu: José halo despedida ho nia kolega servisu sira
Maluk sira hotu,
Bonoiti ba imi hotu,
Hau nia laran haksolok, ho moos susar tebes, hasoru malu ho imi iha kalan ida nee. Hau haksolok,
tanba besik tinan rua maka ita servisu hamutuk. Foufoun hau la hatene atu koalia ho see loos, maibee
liu tia semana ida, semana rua, hau bele konyese i koalia ho maluk barak.
Maluk doben sira mak hau hadomi,
Iha tempu hirak mak liu tia ona, hau aprende buat barak hosi imi. Hau konyese diak liu tan rai ida nee,
ho ema hotu mak moris iha nee. Ita servisu hamutuk, halimar hamutuk, dala barak moos ita baa pasiar
iha tasi ho foho hamutuk. Buat barak mak ita halo tia ona, i buat barak moos mak ita hakarak halo,
maibee seidauk. Hau hein katak maluk sira bele kontinua halao buat hirak mak ita hahuu tia ona.
Maluk sira hotu mak hau hadomi,
Ba imi nia atensaun, ajuda ho kolaborasaun mak hau simu hosi maluk tomak iha rai ida nee, hau hatoo
obrigadu barak. Hau moos hakarak agradese ba imi nia laran luak atu simu hau. Hau hakarak agradese
moos ba imi nia tulun mai hau, durante tempu tomak hau hela iha nee.
Nudar ema, hau hatene katak buat barak mak seidauk loos, i dala ruma sala. Iha tempu diak ida nee,
hau hakarak husu deskulpa ba hau nia hahalok ka hau nia liafuan ruma mak la kona imi nia laran
karik. La bele lori ba lia,1 i lalika rai iha laran.2 Hanoin deit baa, katak ema ida naran José uluk servisu
hamutuk ho imi.
Hau nia lia menon3 ba imi hotu, servisu hamutuk di-diak hanesan ita halao ona. Hau fiar metin4 katak
imi bele kontinua halo too rohan,5 saida mak ita hahuu ona hamutuk.
Dala ida tan, obrigadu barak ba buat hotu mak hau simu tia ona hosi maluk sira. I deskulpa se karik
hau halo imi nia laran susar, tanba hau nia hahalok laduun diak ka liafuan ruma la kona imi nia laran.
Hau sei la haluha imi. Obrigadu.
Kostumi
™
Farewells are important in Timor. Before leaving a location, it is expected that you go and say
farewell to all those with whom you have developed relationships.
™
When farewelling someone who is going to study overseas, colleagues often collect money and
give it in an envelope. Even if the amount of money is relatively large, they may say something
like Ami la iha buat ida diak atu foo ba ita. Ami foo netik ida nee, hodi hola sigaru iha dalan ...
‘We don’t have anything good to give you. We’re just giving you this, to buy cigarettes as you
travel.’
1
La bele lori ba lia is an idiom that means something like ‘don’t make an issue of it’. Lia includes court cases.
2
Rai iha laran is literally ‘store it in your heart/mind’, that is, remember, or continue to think about.
3
Lia menon here means ‘parting word’. Lia menon also describes the parting words given by someone who has
been interviewed, or the final words given by a priest during a sermon.
4
fiar metin ‘firmly believe’.
5
too rohan ‘to the end’.
Peace Corps Tetun Language Course 163
™
When farewelling someone who is leaving permanently, it is common to try to give a present ‘to
remember me by’. The giver may say something like Ami la iha buat diak ida atu foo ba ita.
Maibee ita lori netik buat nee hodi temi ami nia naran.6 ‘We don’t have anything good to give to
you. But take this so that you will mention our names (i.e. to remember us by).’ A possible reply
is La buat ida. Buat nebee imi foo mai hau, hau simu ho laran. Hau sei la haluha imi. ‘That’s
OK. What you have given me, I receive whole-heartedly. I will not forget you.’ The one who is
leaving may also give something (such as one of their clothes or possessions) to the ones staying
behind.
™
There are certain fairly standard elements in the speeches of those who are leaving. Most mention
not only ‘thanks’, but also ‘I’m sorry if I have ever done you wrong’. This is illustrated in the
dialogue and text. It is also common to mention that you will remember (or won’t forget) those
who are left behind, and perhaps to invite them to visit should they ever go to your new
destination. From those who stay, a representative also says ‘thanks’ and ‘sorry’. Men generally
hug or shake hands (or hit each other on the back, if they are good friends). Between women, or
between women and men, it is common to rei malu (‘kiss’ cheek-to-cheek).
™
Relatively common expressions when farewelling are:
ƒ
ƒ
Hela ho Maromak ‘Stay with God’ (said by the person leaving)
Baa ho Maromak ‘Go with God’ (said to the person leaving)
™
Speeches (not just farewell speeches) are often sprinkled with references to the audience, using
expressions such as maluk sira ‘friends’, irmaun sira ‘brothers (and sisters)’, maun-alin sira
‘brothers and sisters’. These introduce new ‘paragraphs’. These references may be followed by
expressions such as mak hau respeita ‘whom I respect’ and mak hau hadomi ‘whom I love’.7
Estrutura língua nian
1. nusaa? ‘why?’
At the beginning of a clause, nusaa is a relatively informal and often rhetorical way of asking ‘why?’
It is not used in formal situations or when interviewing high-status people.
•
•
•
Nusaa mak Acata tanis?
Nusaa mak imi la foo balu mai ami?!
Nusaa o tama tardi hanesan nee?!
What is Acata crying for?
Why don’t you give us some?!
Why are you so late?!
On its own, Nusaa? is something like ‘What’s up?’; for instance, if a friend calls out your name, you
could ask Nusaa? ‘What’s up, what do you want?’
6
7
Netik is difficult to translate into English. Here it is self-humbling, suggesting that the gift is only small.
Here mak introduces a relative clause, just as it does in Tetun Terik. Using mak instead of nebee to introduce a
relative clause seems to be restricted to these formal formulaic expressions. In contrast, in its ‘everyday’ use, an
expression like Senyór ... mak hau respeita would be a full sentence meaning ‘It is only Mr ... that I respect.’
164
Chapter 34. Farewell
2. halo nusaa? ‘how?’
Halo nusaa occurs at either the beginning or the end of the question. It means ‘how’, asking about
means or method.
•
Odamatan nee loke halo nusaa?
Halo nusaa mak profesór sira bele hatene
portugés lailais?
Halo nusaa mak ita bele hetan ajuda hosi
nasaun seluk? KA
Ita bele hetan ajuda hosi nasaun seluk
halo nusaa?
Ita tesi lia nee halo nusaa?
•
“Square” iha tetun, bolu halo nusaa?
•
•
•
•
How do you open this door?
How can the teachers come to know Portuguese
quickly?
How can we get help from other countries?
What is your judgment? (lit. ‘How do you
judge’)
What is “square” in Tetun? (lit. ‘how is
“square” said’)
It is sometimes rhetorical.
•
•
O nunka estuda. Halo nusaa mak o bele
matenek?!
Iha ema barak iha nee. Halo nusaa mak
ita husu “See mak ohin kona hau nia
ropa?!”
You never study. How are you ever going to be
smart?!
There are lots of people here. How can you ask
“Who touched my clothes just now?!” (That’s
unreasonable!)
Halo nusaa moos means ‘no matter what’.
•
•
Malae hateten ba xofér, “Iha dalan, la
bele para. Bele halo nusaa moos, la bele
para. Se lae, ema oho imi iha dalan.”
Halo nusaa moos, ami tenki too duni Suai
aban dadeer.
The foreigner said to the drivers, “You cannot
stop on the way. No matter what happens, do
not stop. Otherwise people will kill you en
route.”
No matter what, we have to arrive in Suai
tomorrow morning.
3. atu ... ona ‘about to’
Atu ... ona means ‘about to’, and is used for events that are considered imminent.
•
•
•
Jesús dehan, “Ema atu faan hau ona.”
Ita tenki baa lalais ospitál, tanba bebee
atu moris ona.
La bele hamriik iha nee, tanba aviaun atu
tuun ona.
Jesus said, “Someone is / people are about to
betray me.”
We have to hurry to the hospital, because the
baby is about to be born.
You can’t stand here, because the aeroplane is
about to land (here).
4. hotu, remata ‘finish’
Hotu follows a noun or verb, to indicate that the action specified by that noun or verb has finished, for
instance haan hotu ‘finished eating’. Note that this is the opposite order to English, and also the
opposite order to komesa ‘start’ (komesa haan ‘start eating’).
•
•
•
Funu nee seidauk hotu.
Nia eskola hotu ona.
Senyór Marcos koalia hotu mak ita bele
koalia fali.
The war hasn’t finished.
He has finished his schooling.
Only when Mr Marcos has finished speaking
can you in turn speak.
Peace Corps Tetun Language Course 165
Remata too can follow a noun which says what has finished, but does not follow verbs.
•
•
•
Votasaun remata tuku haat.
Misa remata ona.
Enkontru nee tenki remata tuku rua.
The voting finished at four o’clock.
Mass has finished.
The meeting must finish at two o’clock.
Remata can also mean ‘finish (something)’, in which case it is followed by a noun which states what is
finished.
•
•
Ita tenki remata enkontru nee tuku rua.
Sira remata tia ona servisu nee.
We must finish this meeting at two o’clock.
They have already finished this work.
Another way of saying ‘finish (something)’ is halo remata or halo hotu ‘cause to be finished’.
•
•
•
Ami iha Komisaun Eleitorál tenki halo
remata ami nia misaun iha tinan ida nee.
Nia la bele halo remata nia kursu tanba
osan la too.
Ita tenki halo hotu ita nia servisu nee mak
foin bele fila ba uma.
We in the Electoral Commission must finish our
mission this year.
She can’t finish her course as she doesn’t have
enough money.
You must finish this work before you can go
home.
5. moos ‘and so’
Moos is often used before a verb, to mean something like ‘so’, to indicate that someone has obeyed
instructions, or responded appropriately to news.
•
•
•
Ema ohin dehan hau nia oan derepenti
moras iha uma. I hau moos fila kedas ba
haree nia.
Bainhira polísia foti liman haruka kareta
para, kareta moos para kedas.
Jesus hatete ba anin ho laloran nunee,
“Para ona!” Anin moos para, i bee moos
hakmatek kedan.
People told me my child had suddenly gotten ill
at home. So I went immediately to see him.
When the policeman raises his hand to order the
cars to stop, the cars stop immediately.
Jesus said to the wind and waves, “Stop!” And
the wind stopped, and the waves became still.
6. la ... ona ‘no longer’
la ... ona means ‘no longer, not any more’.
•
•
•
Uluk hau faan sasaan iha merkadu. Agora
la faan ona.
Hau la biban ona atu baa enkontru nee.
Komu hau nia inimigu la iha Timor ona,
hau fila ba hau nia rain.
I used to sell goods in the market. Now I don’t
sell any more.
I won’t manage to get to the meeting now
(though I could have earlier).
Because my enemies were no longer in
Timor, I returned to my country.
167
35. Edukasaun 1 (Education)
Objetivu
In this chapter you will learn to:
• Talk about education
• Use relative clauses
• Talk about duration, using durante and iha ... nia laran
• Use some Tetun verbs as abstract nouns
Liafuan foun
Since education for most people has been in Indonesian over the last quarter century, many people still
use Indonesian rather than Portuguese loans when talking about schooling. Hence we have included
commonly-used Indonesian terms in the right-hand column, as well as other (usually Portuguesebased) terms.
Indonesian
People
eskola oan
alunu / a
estudante
mestri / mestra
profesór / profesora
dosente
school student (especially primary school)
student (especially primary school)
university student
school teacher (male / female)
teacher, lecturer (male / female)
lecturer
dosen
Educational institutions
jardín infantíl
eskola primária
eskola pre-sekundária
eskola sekundária
universidade
semináriu
kindergarten, preschool
primary school
junior high school
senior high school
university
seminary
TK [té ká]
SD [és dé]
SMP [és ém pé]
SMA [és ém á]
universitas
seminari
Other nouns
aula
CV [si vi]
disionáriu
esperiénsia
ezami
intervista
klase
kursu
lisaun
prezenti
sertifikadu
servisu uma
trabalyu da kaza
teze
valór
lecture, lesson
CV (curriculum vitae)
dictionary
experience
exam; Verb do an exam
interview
class, grade, year (of school)
course (especially short courses)
lesson
present, gift
certificate
homework
homework
thesis
exam results
mahasiswa
guru
kamus
ujian
klas
kursus
sertifikát
pekerjaan rumah
PR [pé ér]
skripsi
nilai
168
Chapter 35. Education 1
aula
lesson, lecture
lecture (university)
position within the class
first place within the class
Verbal expressions
akaba
akaba universidade
hasai
biban
foo kursu
tuir kursu
haan tempu
...haan tempu hira?
lakon (ezami)
liu (ezami)
Other
durante
halo di-diak
iha ... nia laran
nebee
OK
graduate from 1
graduate from university
graduate from (a course, school or university)
have the chance to, manage to
teach a course
attend a course
take (a lot of) time
how long does ... take?
fail (an exam)
pass (an exam)
study at tertiary level
kuliah
ranking
ranking primeiru
tamat
kuliah
during, for the specified period of time
well, thoroughly
during, for the specified period of time
RELATIVE CLAUSE MARKER
OK
Komentáriu kona ba liafuan foun
™
The mainstream education system used since 1975 consists of the following steps. (Education
during Portuguese rule used a different set of terms again, which are not listed here.)
ƒ
Jardín infantíl (or TK, short for taman kanak-kanak) ‘kindergarten, preschool’ is voluntary.
ƒ
Eskola primária (or SD, short for sekolah dasar) ‘primary school’ lasts six years.
ƒ
Eskola pre-sekundária (or SMP, short for sekolah menengah pertama) lasts 3 years.
ƒ
Eskola sekundária (or SMA, short for sekolah menengah atas) lasts 3 years. There are (or have
been) various specialist schools at this senior high school level, including technical schools
(STM), agricultural high schools (SPP), schools for training nurses (SPK), and economic high
schools (SMEA).
™
Kursu include short courses (e.g. in language or word processing), and longer courses (such as
teachers’ college). Regular school subjects are not referred to as kursu.
™
Biban is nearly always used negatively, as la biban ‘not have the opportunity, not have the time
to, not manage to’:
ƒ
1
Hau la biban atu baa misa, tanba hau hadeer tardi. ‘I don’t have the time to get to mass as I
got up too late.’
In Portuguese, akaba means ‘finish’; in Tetun it is largely restricted to the context of schooling.
Peace Corps Tetun Language Course 169
Diálogu
(1) Fernando foo kursu inglés
Jony hasoru malu ho Fernando iha Dili.
Jony:
Hai, Fernando, hau kleur ona la hetan
ita. Ita iha nebee deit?
Fernando: Hau foo kursu inglés ba eskola oan
sira iha Liquiça.
Jony:
Eskola saida? SD, SMP ka SMA?
Fernando:
SD lae, maibee iha SMP ho SMA.
Jony:
Tansaa la foo kursu ba labarik SD?
Fernando:
Tanba labarik SD lee seidauk moos, i
lisaun inglés seidauk iha.
Jony:
Fernando:
Bainhira mak kursu nee remata?
Kona ba SMP, sira sei ezami semana
oin mai, depois hau sei hili estudante
ida nebee mak hetan ranking
primeiru iha kursu nee.
Estudante nebee hetan valór diak, nia
sei hetan prezenti ka?
Sín, hau sei foo disionáriu inglés-tetun
ida ba nia.
Oinsaa kona ba SMA nian?
Jony:
Fernando:
Jony:
Fernando:
SMA sira sei ezami fulan oin mai,
tanba atu hetan sertifikadu, tenki tuir
kursu durante fulan tolu nia laran.
Jony:
Entaun SMA sira foin tuir kursu
fulan rua.
Sín, loos duni.
OK. Hanorin di-diak.
Obrigadu.
Fernando:
Jony:
Fernando:
Jony runs into Fernando in Dili.
Hi, Fernando. I haven’t seen you for a long
time. Where have you been?
I’m giving an English course to the school
students in Liquiça.
Which school? Primary, junior high or
senior high?
Not primary school, but (I am teaching)
junior high and senior high school.
Why aren’t you teaching the primary
school kids?
Because the primary school children don’t
read well yet, and don’t have English
lessons yet.
When will the course finish?
With regard to junior high school, they will
be doing an exam next week, then I’ll
choose the student who got top place in the
course.
Will the student who got the best (lit.
‘good’) mark get a present?
Yes, I’ll give him/her an English-Tetun
dictionary.
How about the senior high school
(students)?
The senior high school students do their
exam next month, because to get a
certificate, they must do a course for three
months.
So the senior high schoolers have only
done a course for two months (so far).
Yes, that’s right.
OK. Teach well.
Thanks.
(2) Antonio tuir intervista
Antonio tuir intervista atu servisu iha banku
BNU.
Hipolito: Halo favór, tuur tia.
Antonio: Obrigadu.
Hipolito: Senyór Antonio, ita bele hatete kona
ba ita nia tempu eskola? Tanba hau
haree iha ita nia CV, kleur loos mak
foin ita remata ita nia estuda.
Antonio is being interviewed to work in the
BNU (Banco Nacional Ultramarino) bank.
Please take a seat.
Thank you.
Mr Antonio, could you tell me about your
period of education? Because I see in your
CV that it took you a long time to finish
your studies.
170
Chapter 35. Education 1
Antonio:
Hipolito:
Antonio:
Sín. Hau eskola primária iha tempu
portugés, akaba iha tinan 1975.
Depois iha tinan haat nia laran hau la
eskola, tanba funu. Hau foin tama fali
iha pre-sekundária iha tinan 1979.
Hau akaba hosi pre-sekundária,
depois hau servisu durante tinan rua,
mak foin komesa eskola fali iha
sekundária. Akaba hosi sekundária,
hau tama iha universidade UnTim. 2
Lokraik hau baa kuliah, dadeer hau
baa servisu iha banku BPD.
Ita akaba hosi universidade saa tinan?
Hau akaba iha tinan 2003. Tanba
situasaun mak halo hau para beibeik.
Yes. I did primary school during the
Portuguese era, finishing in 1975. Then for
four years I didn’t go to school, because of
war. I only started junior high school in
1979. I finished junior high, then worked
for two years, and only then started senior
high school. When I finished senior high, I
went to the national university of East
Timor. In the afternoons I went to lectures,
and in the mornings I went and worked at
the BPD (Bank Pembangunan Daerah)
bank.
What year did you graduate from
university?
I graduated in 2003. Because the situation
made me keep interrupting my studies.
Kostumi
™
Many Timorese parents place high value on formal education. Costs associated with schooling
can be a major drain on family resources.
™
In many schools at present, students attend school only in the morning or in the afternoon,
depending on their class. This enables education to continue despite a shortage of classrooms and
teachers.
™
True education is seen to encompass not only academic knowledge, but also training for right
living. This is reflected in the meanings of matenek, beik, ulun mamar and ulun toos, all of which
include both a capacity to learn and a willingness to obey appropriate authority. The verb eduka
too, includes not only formal education, but also training in right living.
Estrutura língua nian
1. Relative clauses
Relative clauses in Tetun Dili are usually introduced by nebee.
Subject:
•
•
Object:
•
•
2
Hau la konyese ema nebee hakerek livru
nee.
Ita tenki hanoin maluk sira nebee mate
iha funu laran.
Buat ida nebee ita presiza duni mak
kadernu.
Hau laduun fiar istória nebee hau ohin
rona.
I don’t know the person who wrote
this book.
We must remember those friends who
died in the war.
Something we really need is exercise
books.
I don’t really believe the story I just
heard.
The state university set up during the Indonesian occupation was at that time called UnTim (Universitas Timor
Timur). It is now UNTL (Universidade Nacional de Timor Leste).
Peace Corps Tetun Language Course 171
Time:
•
•
Iha loron nebee ita hasoru malu, ...
Iha tempu nebee ita halo ezame, la bele
pasiar.
On the day we met each other...
In the time when we do exams, we
can’t go out.
In English, we can turn a large number of constituents into relative clauses. For instance, we can
relativise location (‘the house in which I live’), destination (‘the motel to which I went’) and means
(‘the means by which they achieved this’). Tetun relative clauses are not that flexible. As shown by
the examples above, in Tetun you can relativise the subject, object or time. Most other constituents
cannot be relativised.3 Instead, when translating from English, you normally need to split the sentence
into two. For instance ‘The man to whom we paid the money was most unkind’ could be split into ‘We
paid the money to a man. He was most unkind.’
2. Duration: iha ... nia laran
You have already learned iha ... nia laran with the meaning ‘inside’; e.g. iha kareta nia laran ‘inside
the car’. (Iha) ... nia laran can also be used to mean ‘during, for (period of time)’. Alternatively, you
can use the preposition durante (or duranti) ‘during, for (period of time)’, or use both durante and nia
laran in combination. These three alternatives are illustrated below.
•
Nia eskola iha Dare durante tinan haat nia laran.
He went to school in Dare for 4 years.
KA
•
•
•
•
•
Nia eskola iha Dare durante tinan haat. KA
Nia eskola iha Dare tinan haat nia laran.
Hau hanorin durante oras rua nia laran. KA
Hau hanorin oras rua nia laran. KA
Hau hanorin durante oras rua.
I teach for two hours.
3. Abstract nouns from verbs
In Tetun Dili, some native verbs can be used as abstract nouns. Usually, they are used in a possessive
construction, with the person who does the action of the verb being presented as the possessor.
•
•
•
•
3
tuir ita boot nia hanoin
prezidenti nia hakarak
Amérika nia ajuda
sira nia fiar ba Nai Maromak
in your opinion
the president’s desire
America’s help
their faith in the Lord God
When pressed, and when translating from other languages, some people allow relativisation of location (‘the
place in which we live’). However there is little agreement amongst speakers about how this should be done.
172
Chapter 35. Education 1
Indonesian pronunciation
Much Indonesian pronunciation and spelling is like Tetun. Here are the major differences. Listen
carefully to how your teacher pronounces them.
•
‘c’ sounds like English ‘ch’: camat ‘subdistrict head’
•
‘j’ sounds like English ‘j’: juta ‘million’. (Some Timorese pronounce Indonesian ‘j’ like the
Tetun one, but this is not standard.)
•
‘ng’ sounds like English ‘ng’: barang ‘goods’
•
‘ngg’ sounds like English ‘ng’ plus ‘g’: mangga ‘mango’
•
‘ngk’ sounds like English ‘ng’ plus ‘k’: tingkat ‘level’
•
A glottal stop is pronounced (but not written) between two vowels when they are:
•
•
both identical; e.g. maaf ‘sorry’ (pronounced: ma’af)
•
‘ae’; e.g. daerah ‘region’ (pronounced: da’erah)
•
‘e’ plus a following vowel; e.g. keadaan ‘situation’ (pronounced: ke’ada’an)
There are two separate vowels written as ‘e’. One is much like the Tetun ‘e’. The other is a
schwa, that is, somewhat like the unstressed ‘e’ in ‘carpet’.4 Listen to the contrast; the first
column below has schwas, and the second has the Tetun-like ‘e’.
enam ‘six’
peta ‘map’
empat ‘four’
•
4
enak ‘tasty’
pesta ‘party’
ember ‘bucket’
Syllables are pronounced with approximately equal stress, but usually slightly greater stress
on the second-last vowel. The main exception is that schwas (written ‘e’) cannot be stressed,
so if the second-last vowel is a schwa, stress shifts to the following vowel; hence énak ‘tasty’
is stressed on the ‘e’, while enam ‘six’ has stress on the ‘a’.
Some people from East Timor and parts of Eastern Indonesia tend to pronounce the schwa like the ‘é’, and to
allow it to be stressed.